Upholstered furniture



Aug. 22, 1939. s, TARR 2,170,224

' UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed lay 16, 1936 .A 3 Sheets-Shea?I 1 Aug. 22, 1939. s,- TARR 2,170,224

UPHOLSTERBD FURNITURE Filed nay 16', 193e l s sheets-sheet 2 Aug; 22, 1939. s. TARR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 16, 1936 fI/ c?! lof:

Cil

I 1 trim.

-where the fabric turns cured to other material.

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITEDr STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to upholstered furniture, such as sofas, chairs, settees and the like, and relates particularly to an upholstered article of furniture which is provided with an upholstery covering which can be readily removed and replaced. By the term upholstery covering I desire to clearly differentiate from the so-called slip covers which are applied over upholstered articles of furniture on top of the upholstery covering proper. My upholstery covering further differentiates from the conventional slip covers in that it is mounted on the article of furniture in a manner which is indistinguishable in appearance from a covering permanently applied 15in the usual way, that is, by being tacked in position.

In producing an upholstered article of furniture having a real upholstery covering, which is nevertheless removable and replaceable with ""facility, several problems are presented which are solved by the present invention. In. the rst place, a simple and effective attachment must be provided for an edge of covering fabric which may terminate in full View at a piece of wood Furthermore, the covering must be held closely to the frame or to elements carried thereby at certain definite places. Thus, in a case of overstuffed furniture with rolled arms, the fabric must be held close to the underside of the arm sharply downward. Then, again, to present a proper appearance the panel in front of the seat of a chair or couch must be anchored to the seat in order to present a finished and high-class appearance. The same is true for the flat portion of the fabric which extends from the front top edge of the seat rearwardly. Ordinarily, the tapestry or patterned material terminates a few inches from the top front edge of the seat and is there se- The line of join` between the two materials is firmly anchored to the springstructure of the seat in ordinary highclassfurniture. My invention is primarily concerned with meansI for attachment at the points indicated, whereby I am enabled to provide an upholstery covering which is readily removable and replaceable and which nevertheless has all the qualities of excellent fit and finished appearonce of a covering which has been permanently attached by a competent upholsterer.

The invention will readily be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a couch embodying my invention;

Fig; 2 isy a transverse sectional view therethrough, taken on the line 2 2 of Fighl;

Fig. 3 is an inverted view ofthe couch, showing the bottom panel thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a rear corner of the couch with the upholstery covering partially broken away;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through the arm of the couch, this view being taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View showing the manner in which the upholstery covering of a cushion is removably installed;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view showing the manner in which the edge of an upholstery covering is removably secured to wood trim, this ligure showing the application thereof to the back of a couch having a curved corner;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the manner in which this feature of the invention is applied to a piece of wood trim having a rectangular corner;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view, taken on the line .9-9 of Fig. 7, this view being on a substantially larger scale;

Fig. l0 is a sectional detail view, taken on the line llll0 of Fig. 8, likewise on a larger scale;

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary sectional plan View, taken on the line Il-Il of Fig. 2, the cushion and upholstery covering being removed;

Fig. l2 is a perspective view of a tube element adapted to be mounted in a groove on wood trim, as will hereinafter be described;

Fig. i3 is a complementary tube element adapted to be secured to thev upholstery covering;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a flexible rod which may be used in the securing of the upholstery covering to the article of furniture;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tubular element employed in` my invention;

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic View showing this tube member and complementary tube elements on fabric about to be installed;

Fig. 17 is a detail View showing the manner in which certain parts of the upholstery covering are provided with eyelets;

Fig. 18 is a sectional detail view sho-wing the manner in which said eyelets are connected to a turn-button for the installation of certain parts of the upholstery covering;

Fig. 19 is a sectional View showing a further embodiment of attaching means which may be employed according'to my invention;

Fig. 20 is a similar view showing a still further form of attachment which may be employed according to my invention, and

Fig. 2l is a fragmentary sectional detail.

Referring' to the drawings, the reference numeral 2l designates the article of furniture as a whole. This article of furniture is shown in the form of a couch of conventional design. It will be understood, however, that any other upholstered article of furniture may be equipped with the present invention and that the invention is not in any respect limited to the particular design of the couch shown. The couch 2l comprises: a spring seat portion 22, back 23, ends or arms 24 which terminate in rolls 25 at their upper ends. The couch is supported on legs 26 which are secured to the rigid frame of the couch in suitable manner. The couch, as a whole, is upholstered in the usual manner and is provided in the manner usual with high-class furniture with inner coverings 21 which may suitably be of stout cotton fabric of white or natural color. The coverings 21 are permanently secured to the frame members of the couch by tacks 28 as is conventional in upholstery. The underside of the couch; that is, below the spring structure 22, is closed by a. sheet of fabric 29. To the sheet of fabric 29 is secured a panel Sil of suitable fabric which is somewhat smaller than the dimensions of the underside of the couch, as is shown in Fig. 3. The sheet 29 and panel 3U are secured together by stitching 3l at some distance from the edges of the panel 30. The edges of the panel 33 are provided with slide fastener or zipper elements 32 which are intended to cooperate with complementary elements 33 on the edges of the upholstery covering. 1t will readily be understood that when the slide fastener' elements 32 and 33 are brought into registration, as shown in Fig. 3, the elements may be interlocked by suitable operation of the conventional slides 34.

The upholstery covering is preferably formed of one piece, although in the case of the embodiment of the inventio-n illustrated where the upper edge of the back of the couch is constituted by a piece of wood trim 35, the back upholstery panel 36 may be separate from the rest of the upholstery covering and it may be tacked or otherwise permanently secured to the back at its upper end, asl shown in Fig. 2.- It will be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited in this respect since the panel 36 may be secured to the wood trim 35 in the same way as the front panel 31 of the couch back is secured thereto. At any rate, the lower part of the panel 35 must be capable of being freed so as to render it possible to make suitable manipulations in the opening 38 between the back and seat ofA the couch, as shown in Fig. 2.

As shown in Fig. 2, the seat portion 22 of the couch is provided with a rear frame member 39. Upon this rear frame member is mounted a suitable number of turn-buttons 40 of well known type, as shown in Fig. 18. The panel 4l which, rests upon the seat of the couch is provided along its rear edge with suitable eyelets 4|a located in registry with the turn-buttons 45, Fig. 2. The ends of the panel 4| are also provided with eyelets Ma, which are in registry with turn-buttons 42, Fig. 5, located along the upper edge of the frame members 43 which also form part of the seat. It will be noted that there is an opening 44 between the arm structure and the seat structure so that the fabric 21 can be moved into the position shown in Fig. 5. The fabric 4I which forms the inner sides of the coverings for the armsl is also provided at its lower edge with eyelets which register with the turn-buttons 42. When the covering is installed, the fabric 45 overlies the fabric 4l at these turn-buttons. Referring again to the turn-buttons 4B, it will be noted that the fabric 31 which forms the front side of the back 23 of the couch, is also formed with eyelets which are engaged by the turn-buttons 4B.

The fabric 45 extends around the roll 25 of the arm. It is rigidly and detachably secured at the'underside of the roll 25 by the wire 46, as will hereinafter be described. From the wire 46 the fabric 45 covering the arm extends downwardly and turns under the bottom of the couch, this fabric carrying slide fastener elements 33 as shown in Fig. 3. The fabric 45 is preferably in the form of a pocket which is closed by a front panel 41, as shown in Fig. 1. A space 48 is provided between the back 23 of the couch and each end frame member 49, as shown in Fig. 4. This end frame member 43 carries turn-buttons 5G, to which may be secured parts of the ends of the panel 31 and also the rear edges of the portion of the fabric 45 on the inner side of the arms 24.

It will be understood that the front panel of the seat 5I which is secured to the panel 4I adjacent the wire 52, extends downwardly over the front of the seat and turns inwardly and rearwardly therebeneath. Along its lower edge it carries slide fastening elements 33, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of the panels 36 turns forwardly underneath the seat 22 of the couch and is provided at its extremity with slide fasteners 33, as shown in Fig. 3.

As has been heretofore indicated, it is necessary for upholstery having a proper finished appearance to haveV the covering attached to the seat structure at the position of the wire 52 and preferably also at a position more to the front of the panel 5|, that is, at the position of the wire 53 as shown in Fig. 2. This attachment is preferably attained in detachable manner by means of the cooperating tubular elements illustrated in Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive.

I provide a principal tubular member 54 which is rigidly secured to the spring structure of the seat 22, for example, by means of wires 55 at the particular positions of the wires 52 or 53, shown in Fig. 2. The tubular member 54 may be bent to conform to the particular configuration required by the contour of the article of furniture. It is providedalong its length with a seriesy of cut-outs 55, as` best shown in Figs. l5 and' 16. These cut-outsare adapted to receive correspondingly spaced tubular elements 51 which are fas.- tened to the fabric. The tubular elements 51 have. soldered or otherwise rigidly secured thereto staples 58 of flat stock. To secure them to the fabric of the upholstery covering it is. merely necessary to project the sharp ends of the staples 58 through the fabric and then to bend them over, as is shown in Fig, 16.` When the. tubular members 54 and 51 are in cooperative relation, the appropriate rod 52 or 53 is passed therethrough and in the final assembly the rods 52 and 53 occupy the position shown in Fig. 2.. It may here be noted that in the case of a chair, one rod 52 and one rod 53 may be employed. In the case, however, of a longer piece of furniture, such as a sofa, it is preferred to introduce rods 52 and 53 from opposite ends of thev article of furniture. This introduction is effected through suitable openings in the arms 24, which openings 44, Fig. 5 are hidden when the assembly is completed by the panels 45. I prefer to make the tubular members 54 and'51 from metal pipe. However, these tubular elements may be formed of any suitable material, for example of leather, woven fabric or the like, and it is not intended to limit the structure to tub-ular elements of metal, because rigid non-metallic material may also be used if desired.

A somewhat similar arrangement is employed for the connection ofv the material of the upholstery covering to wood trim. In this case I prefer to form in the wood trim a groove 59 and in this groove are located tubular elements 6D of the type shown in Fig. 12. These tubular elements are again preferably of metal. and have soldered or otherwise secured thereto sharp points 6|. As indicated in Fig. 12, these sharp points may be provided by soldering tacks to one side of the tubular member 60. The edge of the fabric which is to be secured to the strip 35, for example, is provided with tubular elements 51 of the type previously described, which tubular elements are spaced in complementary relation to the tubular elements 60. This relationship is best shown in Fig. '7. 'Ihe elements 51 and'60 are held in assembled relation by means of a rod 62, as shown in Fig. 9. It will, of course, be understood that the prongs of the staple 58 which extend through the fabric are masked in any suitable Way, for example, by means of a tape or length of guimpe 63, as shown in Fig. 7. Instead of the tape 63, any suitable fringe may be employed, if desired. Itv will be understood that the rod 62 is hidden from View when the upholstery covering is completely installed. In Fig. '7 I have shown the manner of attachment to a piece of Wood of arcuate design. In the case of a rectangular corner, two Wires 62 are necessary, as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be understood that the wire 46 previously referred to is mounted With the aid of a tubular member 54 and tubular members 51 through which the wire 46 extends. The tubular member 54 at this location is secured to the arm frame by wires 64, as shown in Fig. 5. It will also be understood that this manner of attachment may be employed at any place where fashion requires the fabric of the upholstery covering to be anchored to the frame or elements supported there- In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the panel 5| is permanently united to the panel 4|. At opposite ends the panel 5| is permanently secured to the panel 41 and thereby to the fabric 45. The fabric 45 may be secured to the fabric 31 adjacent the upper sides of the arms. Below this point these fabrics are separate, in order to permit them to be attached separately to the turnbuttons 56 as previously described. If the back panel 36 is permanently mounted -as illustrated, although it may be removably secured to the Wood trim 35 likev the panel 31, then the fabric 45 on the outside of the arms may extend rearwardly around a corner of the article of furniture and be secured tothe panel 36. It is preferred to secure the meeting edges by providing them with slide fastener elements 65, as shown in Fig. 4. These slide fastener elements 65 not only .secure the attachment of the outer covering of the arms 24, but they provide an easy means for making available the turn-button 50.

In the case of a rather extensive leg, such as the front legs` 26 shown at each end of the couch, it may in some cases be necessary to provide some anchorage for the lower edge of the fabric. Thus, I may mount on the frame buttons 66 by means of pins 61 as shown in Fig. 21, which buttons extend through suitable openings in the appropriate fabric. Of course, other' means of securement at this point may be employed, for example the well known snap fasteners, which have the advantage of holding the fabric in position and at the same time are concealed from View by the fabric.

The invention will be more completely` understood from the following description of the manner in which the removable covering is applied to the article of furniture illustrated. The wires 52 and 53 are first installed, the covering as a whole b-eing practically turned inside out and located in front of the couch. The pipe elements 51 on the covering are brought seriatim into the openings 56 in the tubular structures 54 and the wire 52 or 53, as the case may be, is pushed inwardly step by step from one end of the couch. It will be understood that the arm structure 24 is provided with suitable openings. to permit the wires to be fed therethrough. The upholstery covering is then` straightened out, the panel 5| being hung downwardly in front of the seat and the panel 4| being spread over the surface of the seat.

The portions of the covering including the panels 45 and 41, by means of which the arms are enclosed, are slipped over the arms and the panel 31 is spread over the back. In case the back panel 36 is integral with the front panel 31, as is the case with articles of upholstery not provided with wood trim 35 at the top of the back, the back covering is worked over the back structure 23. The wires 46 are installed, suitably from the rear. The ends of the panel 4| are extended into the openings 44 and the eyelets at these ends are slipped over the turn-button 42. The lower sides of the panel 45 are likewise slipped into the openings 44 and the eyelets at their extremities are slipped over the turn-buttons 42.v

These turn-buttons are then turned to anchor firmly these panels ,in place. Then the rear portion of the panel 4| is worked rearwardly into the opening 38 and the eyelets therein are passed over the turn-buttons 46. The lower end of the panel 31 is likewise worked into the opening 38 and its eyelets are passed over the turn-buttons 4l). These turn-buttons are then turned so as to anchor these panels firmly in place. The rear edge of the portions of the panels 45 on the inside of the arms: is Worked back into the opening 48 and the eyelets therein are passed over the turnbuttons 50. Then the free edge portions at each side of the panel 3l are moved into the openings 48 and their eyelets are passed over the turn.- buttons 50. These turn-buttons are then turned so as to secure these panels firmly in position.

It will readily be understood that the openings 38, 44 and 48 are available from the outside of the upholstered article because the exterior panels are not anchored to the bottom. Before thisv is` done, the upper edge of the front panel 31 of the back of the upholstered article must be secured to the wood trim 35, where such trim is used. For this purpose the wire 62 is passed upwardly through a channel in the wood` trim, as shown in Fig. 9, and is passed through the tubular portions 51 and 50, shown in Fig. '7. A wire 62 is fed in from each end and is continued untill the upper edge of the panel 31 is rmly secured in place. After the wires 62 have been installed, the ends are secured in any suitable way, but are in any event hidden from View by the exterior panels.

In the modification shown, the front panel 5| is smoothed down over the front of the seat 22 and turned inwardly underneath. The lower edge of this panel is secured to the panel 30 by means of the slide fastener elements 32 and 33, as sho-wn in Fig. 3. The end panels 45 are likewise smoothed down and turned inwardly below the bottom of the upholstered article and are united to the panel 30 by means of the slide fastener elements 32 and 33, as shown in Fig. 3. Likewise, the rear panel 36 is smoothed down and connected in `the same manner to the panel 30. In the particular case illustrated, where the back panel 3B is not made removable, the slide fastener elements E5 are operated so as to connect this rear panel to the side panels t5. Any supplementary fastenings, such as the buttons 6B shown provided adjacent the legs 23, are secured in place and the installation is-` complete. To remove and replace the upholstery covering described is` a mattei' of a few minutes work. In case the upholstery covering has become soiled it may be readily removed, cleaned and replaced. In the case of hotels Where a large number of similar upholstered articles are provided, the upholstery covering may be removed and replaced by another of diiferent color or diierent fabric, to suit a new scheme of decoration or to please the taste of a guest.

The cushions employed in upholstered articles equipped with my invention may suitably comprise pillows 63 which are enclosed within a cushion cover 69 of conventional type except that it can readily be opened along one edge. As shown in Fig. 6, I may provide a meeting edge with snap fasteners 10 so as to provide a movable flap for the removal and replacement of the pillow ES.

It will readily be understood 'that considerable modification may be made in the application of my invention to upholstered articles. In particular, the tubular structures 56 and 5? may be modified in various ways. In Figs. 19 and 20 I have shown two embodiments oi a securing structure which has certain advantages over that employing the tubular member 5t. Referring to Fig. 19, it will be seen that I provide alternate tubular members, 'Il and 12. The tubular members 'H are secured by wires 13 to the spring structure of the upholstered article or to a rigid part of the frame thereof. rIhe other tubular portions 'I2 are secured to fabric It of the upholstery covering by means of staples '15.

The tubular members 'I2 are provided with pivotally mounted latches 'I6 which are pressed outwardly from each end by means of a spring 11. A lateral opening 18 permits the spring 11 to be moved to retract these latches. When it is desired to secure the fabric 'ifi in position the tubular elements 'I2 are merely pushed inwardly between two adjacent tubular elements Ti. The latches 16 snap into the tubes 'il and engage projections 19 therein. When it is desired to remove the covering, a suitable tool is introduced into`the opening 18 and the spring 'Il is manipulated so as to draw the latches 16 together. When these latches clear the projections la, the tubular member 'l2 may be moved out of position.

In the modification shown in Fig. 20, tubular members 8l! are permanently secured to the upholstered article and the tubular elements 8l are secured to the fabric. At one end each tubular element 8| is provided with a reduced extension 82 which extends into one end of the tubular member 8l). The tubular member 3S carries a plunger 83 which is normally spring pressed so as to extend outwardly from its other end by means of a spring 34. The plunger 83 is provided on one side with a pin 85 which projects outwardly through a slot 36. The spring 8d may suitably abut against an inturned lug B7 stamped out of the metal of which the tube 80 is formed.

In the operation of this embodiment the tubular element 8l is manipulated so as to direct its projection 82 into the appropriate tubular member 8U. Then the plunger 83 of the tubular member 8|) located at the other end of the tubular member 8! is retracted and the adjacent ends of the last mentioned tubular elements are brought into alignment. Then the plunger 83 is released and allowed to enter the tubular element 8l. The structures shown in Figs. 19 and 2O provide a greater degree of resilience thany can be attained by a structure comprising an integral tubular member 54 of considerable length.

Although the invention has been disclosed in connection with the specific details of preferred embodiments thereof, it must be understood that such details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except in so far as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a readily removable upholstery covering structure, in combination, a piece of wood trim provided with a groove, rigid tubular members mounted in said groove and rigid tubular members mounted on said covering adapted to be placed within said groove in abutting and alternating relation with said rigid tubular members mounted therein, and an elongated member extending through said tubular members in series whereby the covering is secured to the wood trim.

2. In an upholstered article of furniture, having a removable cover simulating a covering which is permanently installed, in combination, rigid tubular members on said covering, rigid tubular members on the article, the rigid tubular members on the covering and article respectively being arranged in alternating and abutting relation, means securing the adjacent tubular members together whereby the covering is securely and removably anchored to the article, and means carried by the covering adapted to overlie the tubular members.

3. In an upholstered article of furniture, having an upholstered seat and a removable cover simulating a covering which is permanently in-v rigid tubular members in spaced relation mountu ed on said article of furniture along said seat and adjacent said corner, complementaryrigid tubular members on said cover, the rigid tubular members on the article and cover respectively being arranged in alternating and abutting relation, and a wire extending through the tubular members, whereby the covering is securely and removably anchored to the article adjacent the front corner of the seat.

4. In an upholstered article of furniture, having a removable cover simulating a covering which is permanently installed, in combination, rigid tubular members on said covering, rigid tubular members on the article, the rigid tubular members on the covering and the article respectively being arranged in alternating and abutting relation, a long flexible wire extending through said tubular members whereby the covering is securely and removably anchored to the article, and means carried by the covering adapted to overlie the tubular members.

SAMUEL TARR. 

